Monday, April 30, 2012

that lighting was so harsh. that's what happens when you take pictures right around lunch time on a super sunny day with not a cloud in the sky. big photography no no ;) but sometimes there is no other option.

this is what my hair looks like on the second day after washing and curling it the day before. it goes pretty flat since it doesn't have any volume to begin with, but keeps a slight wave from the day before. if i pull it up half way like i did here, i can pretty much get away with it.

also, i hadn't been in an aeropostale store in probably about 6 or 7 years. then while my dad and brother were in town we were looking for a hoodie as a gift for someone and stopped in. i ended up taking this cardigan home for only $7!

Friday, April 27, 2012

sometimes i wish i had the endurance of my 11 months old. he falls down so many times each day and still he gets back up and tries again and again. makes me realize that i can't give up so easily either. currently he is absolutely fascinated by doors. the opening and closing part could probably keep him occupied for hours if there weren't his mama worrying about those tiny little fingers getting stuck or squished. he is also getting closer to walking and it has me all excited and worried at the same time. i've been chasing him around the house since he started crawling at 5 months so at least that won't change.

i am starting to plan his birthday party for next month. next month? i can't believe it's here already. my baby is turning into a toddler with 7 teeth, still not so much hair and a smile that melts my heart every time. life with him is fantastic in every way.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

last night i shut the computer off at 9, had a big latte and a couple of white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies for dinner, in bed, with a stack of magazines - and it was heavenly!
i've been going non-stop for the past few weeks and i am starting to notice that my patience runs thinner, my body is achy and my brain goes at 100 mps. when i finally go to bed at a time no mom of an 11 months old boy should go to bed, i still can't fall asleep. having my phone around all day doesn't help either. i love this blog and whenever i am not taking care of my little man or cooking, cleaning or doing laundry- which is not much time - i spend it thinking about post ideas, coming up with/planning outfits to wear, updating all my social media, returning comments, reading up on my faves and getting inspired. in the end, it takes up a lot of that precious time that i get to myself. oh and then there is my wonderful husband who when he gets back from work shouldn't get ignored by his wife as much as he has been...
when you ask other bloggers a lot of them will say that they blog for themselves, but let's be honest, we all hope to reach others with what we write. if i wanted to do all of this for myself i could set my blog to private or keep a journal - but hey, that didn't even work when i was a teenager. proof are all those 1/4 full journals in a box somewhere in the attic...
i love blogging and i hope that some of you who read my posts actually take something away from it all.

so i am going to start making an effort to get away from bloggy land a little more often and paying more attention to the ones around me. that doesn't mean there won't be the usual amount of posts but i really need to stop spending every night in front of the computer or checking my phone every 15 minutes. social media can be so addictive.
i hope this doesn't come across as me complaining, i am not! i'm just trying to be honest about the amount of work it actually takes to run a blog. and if you're like me and leaning a little more towards the type a side, you know how hard it is to let go and not try to give 100% all the time. sometimes i think it's actually a good thing i am not working a full-time graphic design job because i'd never come home from the office ;)

so, how do you other moms or work full-time/blog full-time ladies do it? how do you keep your balance without ignoring your real life friends and family or ignoring bloggy land?

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

aaaand for all of you who can't or don't want to make this clutch themselves... it is giveaway time :)

ok, here is the deal:

this giveaway is closed!

to enter you must be a gfc follower of the forge and chose one other way to subscribe. Leave me a comment saying how you follow and also leave your email. (if you don't have gfc just choose two of the other options to follow along)

this is a simple clutch diy for anyone who has basic skills using a sewing machine. i am by no means a professional and if i don't use the right terms please don't get offended. i am completely self taught and most of the time just learn by trial and error.

here is what you'll need:

sewing machine
about 1/2 to 1 yard of vinyl depending on what size clutch you want to make
fabric for liner (you don't have to line it)
zipper
rotary cutter
ruler
thread
paint (i used patio paint)
possibly some fabric glue
masking tape
foam brush

Cut your piece of vinyl to the desired size. Mine was about 22" x 16.5". Cut your piece of fabric for the liner just slightly shorter on the zipper side so it wont show after you sew it together.

i then added some fabric glue and glued the liner onto the wrong side of the vinyl piece. my fabric was very silky and because you can't really use pins to keep it in place i just decided to add some glue.

i did the same thing with the zipper. line it up right side of zipper facing wrong side of vinyl and then sew down the side with your zipper foot. do the same thing on the other side and be careful because you won't have much room to work with. i opened the zipper a little bit because it was easier to sew that way.

once the zipper is attached, make sure you open it about half way. DO NOT forget this step or you won't be able to turn your clutch right side out when you're done sewing. then simply sew down both sides right over your zipper.

your clutch will then look something like this:

if you have some excess fabric you will want to trim it now. also cut off the excess zipper. turn your clutch right side out and it'll look like this:

now you'll need your paint, foam brush and masking tape.

tape off the stripe that you want to paint on both sides.

i painted two coats and let the paint dry over night before removing the masking tape.

it didn't seep through at all and covered perfectly. i used patio paint because it is weather proof so i figured it would stick to the vinyl.

the lined inside will look like this.

then you're all done and ready to take it out on the town.

i am happy to answer any questions you may have, just shoot me an email or comment.

hey everyone! did you have a good weekend? with all of the heaviness of last weeks posts i am starting this week of on a positive note :) tomorrow i'll be posting the vinyl neon clutch diy tutorial as promised and then there will also be a giveaway. so make sure to check back for that.

i am totally in love with my new fuchsia lipstick. i had been on the hunt for the perfect shade and finally found it. this color seriously goes with almost anything. and how about the new $20 michael kors sunnies from tj maxx? that is my place to buy sunglasses and after my cole haan ones broke on vacation these ones were the perfect replacement. love them!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

so i've been messing around with this file for way too long and blogger just won't show it at its actual width :( that's why these instagram sunday pics have been showing up at a different width than all the rest of the pictures on my blog. sorry about that! i get super anal about things like that but at this point i have no clue what's going on...

Saturday, April 21, 2012

hope you're all having a great weekend. It's pretty rainy and cool here but I can't complain because we just had a super nice week so I am just hoping the weather will turn around again soon.

i am just dropping in quickly to let you guys know how excited i am to be featured as a pinner to watch, over at the Huffington Post's Stylelist Home blog today!! i am so honored that they picked out my painted jar candle diy project from among thousands of wonderful pinterest pins :)

see what they had to say here.
you can also follow me on pinterest here.

Friday, April 20, 2012

sweater: f21(old), tshirt: old navy, shorts: RL i cut off and folded, heels: old navy (old)

so after editing these pictures and really not feeling too happy about my legs in those shorts this post somehow turned into a post on body issues. oh boy!

then i decided that i didn't really want to complain and whine so I deleted it all. now i'm left with no post at all but the realization that i need to stop criticizing my body and focus on the positive. above all else, i am healthy and i can do the things i want to do. i'm not perfect but comparing myself to others isn't going to change anything, so i'm trying hard to remind myself of that every day.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

this post has been stuck in the notes on my phone for a while... one of those early morning, can't go back to sleep because my thoughts are racing kind of posts.

i like to plan things. on paper or simply in my head. i like to have control of any given situation and pretty much plan out all of the possible scenarios and outcomes in my head beforehand. i overanalyze and i am a pessimist trying hard to get to the other side. i guess you could call it controlling or obsessing but i think it's mostly me being afraid of what i don't know. sometimes i let this get in the way of enjoying the moment or even doing something at all. sometimes, if i don't get a little (or big) nudge from someone to just let go and jump, i miss out.

in the end, i am grateful for the people that convince me to just do it, no matter what reasons against it all i have come up with in that crazy head of mine. having a baby has made it even easier to just stay behind, with a baby you always have a good excuse not to do something. i personally think about things like, will he be good? hungry? get sick? where can i change him? will he get tired? fuss? scream? well, you get the point. then i start worrying about myself and whether i will make a fool of myself in a situation i've never been in before.

if something comes up that goes well beyond his bedtime i usually automatically decline. i am finally starting to be more flexible when it comes to our routine. routine has worked great for us and has blessed us with uninterrupted sleep most nights, since he was about 6 months.

this time however, with just a tiny little nudge and a little bit of fear to disappoint someone else, i let go of all my objections and just went for it. and guess what? surprise, surprise, it worked out great.

yes, bed time was involved but once again the mister rose to the occasion when he decided it was ok to just fall asleep on mama's chest. last time that happened he was still in the infant stage. these days sleeping requires a crib and a darkened room.

so of course everything worked out great. no major catastrophes happened and no one made a fool of themselves. i am glad the little mister and i are both learning to go with the flow together. in the end he is teaching his mama a thing or two about live, again and again, every day.

Monday, April 16, 2012

so sorry i've been gone friends! my dad and little brother came to visit and i didn't feel like wasting a second with them... i gotta get back into the grove of blogging and i haven't really been feeling any outfits lately so i need to work on that.

for now i leave you with some pics from last week. i'd love it if you followed me on instagram.

i'm @theforgestyle

last week we...

drove into the city quite a lot

drove to the airport quite a lot as well

got stuck in traffic of course

loved family time

got a ton of clothes from zara for the little guy that my dad brought from germany

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

i totally love the neon trend and color blocking right now, as long as it's not too crazy or 80's looking, that is. i am proud to say i made that clutch myself. it is lined turquoise on the inside as well and hand painted and sewn by yours truly. it's a great size and can hold a ton of stuff or even a small laptop. i don't have the diy ready yet but it's coming. i am thinking about doing a giveaway soon and this may just be the item for it. what do you think? would you love to have this clutch?

By the way, I made my instagram public last night so come on over and follow me there. I'm @theforgestyle :)

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